Label-applying machine



Nov, 24, 1925- 7 1 M u 2w a R. t 1 e 6 h s 3 5 T w Tml m T MMW m mum Ha H d mm Bi AF Nov. 24', 1925. 1,563,147

G. H. BARTLETT LABEL APPLYING MACHINE Filed March 28,. 1925 s sheets-sheet 2 5 Sheets-Sheet 3 JET/877C014,

G. H. BARTLETT LABEL APPLYING MACHINE Flled March 28 1925 Nov. 24, 1925- Patented Nov. 24, 1925.

UNITED stares GEORGE*H." BARTLETT, OF SA-NELFZRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA.

LABEL-APPLYING- IvIACH'IIN'E,

Application filed March 28, 1925. Serial No. 18,991.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, GEORGE H; BARTLETT, a citizen of the United States, residing at the city and county .of San-Francisco,-and State of California, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Label- .Aq plyingMachines, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to a machine for applying labels to cylindrical objects such "as cartons, cans and the like.

The principal object of my invention'is to provide a simple automatic machine for the described purpose which is capable of rapid operation, and which will apply the labels to the packages neatly and effectively. A

further objcctof the invention is to provide improved means forfeeding the labels suc cessively from a stack. A still further object is to provide means for applying liquid or semi-liquid adhesive to the underside of the labels in order that such adhesive applying or pasting means may be constructed in the simplest ,possible manner. A still further object is toiprovide means for applying the pasted labelsto their respective packages by wrapping them thereabout without. necessitating any hand labor. 'llhese and other objects of the invention will bereadily understood from the following specification wherein a preferred embodiment is fully described, it being understood that the construction, proportion and arrangement of the several parts of the apparatus may be varied within the limits of the claims hereto appended without departing from the spirit of the invention, as set forth in said claims.

l Vith this in view, my invention will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings wl1erein- Fig. 1 is a plan view of a preferred form of my label applying machine.

Fig. 2 is a sideelevation thereof.

Fig. 8 is an enlarged sectional detail taken on the line 3-3 of Fig 1.

Fig. 4 is an enlarged vertical sectional detail of the label applying means, showing a label in process of being wrapped around a package.

F ig, 5 is an enlarged vertical and longi-- tudinal section of the label feed mechanism and the pasting mechanism.

F 6 is a transverseseotion taken in the direction of the arrow on the line 66 of Fig. 5,.

Fig. 7 is a longitudinal sectional detail of the label feed mechanism showing a label "partially removed from the label holder.

Fig. 8 is. an enlarged longitudinal sectional detail of a portion of the pasting roll and the stripper means for removing the labels therefrom.

Fig. 9 is an enlarged side elevation of the package feed mechanism.

[Fig 10 is an enlarged longitudinal section of gthepackage feed mechanism and port, an upperfr'a me 4, Figs. 1, 2 and 5,

in whichis -mounted the label feed and pastingmechanism. Astack of labels 6, Fig. 5,

is contained in a tray 7, which isvertically slida'ble within a fixed tray 8, mounted in any desired manner in the upper frame 1-. Tension springs 9 secured to the movable tray 7 by hangers 10 tend to. lift said mov able tray to press the stack of labels 6 against a fixed superposed stop plate 11.

A transverse shaft 12 is journalled in the frame uprights 2, and carries a feed roller 13 positioned immediately above the stack of labels 6. A portion of the periphery of the roller 13 is made rough in any suitable manner, as for example, by means of a piece of sand paper applied thereto, as shown at 14.. The remainder of the surface of the roller 13 is smooth. The shaft 12 upon which the feed roller is fixed is rotated continuously by means of a train of gears 15, 16 and 17, Figs. 1 and 3, from a shaft 18, which carries a belt pulley 19, Fig. 1. A crank may also be provided upon said shaft 18 to operate the machine by hand if necessary.

Mounted upon the stop plate 11 at the rear of the labeliholder 8 is a knife blade 21, Figs. 5 and 7, which is adapted to penetrate one or more of the uppermost labels 6 of the stack. A slot 22, Figsland 7, is preferably provided in the stop plate 8 for the reception of said knife 21, and said knife is preferably formed with a relatively thin flat blade longitudinally disposed with. re-

spect to the feeding movement of the labels 6 and inclined at a slight angle, as shown in Figs. and 7. The feeding of the labels 6 is accomplished by the roughened segment 14 of the roller 13 which successively engages frictionally the uppermost of said labels and slides the same out of the tray 7, toward the right, as viewed in Figs. 5 and 7, the knife 21 making a clean cut in the rear end portion of said uppermost label, as the same is fed forwardly. The knife 21 prevents more than one label from being fed at of the holder at a time, and also prevents the uppermost label therein from being fed out by the smooth peripheral portion of the feed roller 13. By providing the knife 21 with a thin fiat point and by mounting it in the slot 22 in the stop plate 11, said plate bearing upon the stack of labels 6, I am able to prevent any tearing of the end portion of the uppermost label as the same is fed off the stack, said knife making a clean, straight out in the end portion of said label instead of tearing the same. To prevent the feeding of labels from the stack 6 without stopping the remainder of the machine, I provide a bar 23, Fig. 5, connected with the movable tray 7 by a pin 24 extending through the bottom of the fixed tray 8, so that by pressing downwardly on the rear end of said bar 23, the movable tray 7 is drawn downwardly against the tension of the springs 9 to prevent contact between the feed roller 13 and the stack of labels 6.

" A swinging latch 25 is preferably provided for holding the bar 23 in its lowermost po sition.

The gear 16, Figs. 1 and 3, is fixed upon a shaft 26 journalled in the upper frame 4. A paste roller 27, F 2 and 5, is secured upon said shaft 26, and operates in a paste reservoir 28. A distributing roller 29, Fig. 5, may be mounted in any desired manner, not shown, to enable it to contact with the paste roller 27 for the purpose of evenly distributing the paste thereupon. The uppermost label 6, as it is fed off from the stack contained within the tray 7, passes over the paste roller 27 and is pressed into contact therewith by an idler roller 30 mounted thereabove and adapted for free vertical and rotative movement. The paste roller 27 is formed with circumferential grooves 31 in which lie stripper bars 32 adapted to engage the under side of the ad- 'ancing label and to remove the same from said paste roller 27 and to continue the movement of said label in a horizontal path, as shown in Fig. 8.

A transverse shaft 33, Figs. 2 and 3, is journalled in the upper frame 4 a short distance ahead of the paste roller shaft 26, and is driven therefrom by means of a sprocket chain 34, Figs. 1 and 3. The shaft 33 carries a transfer roller 35, Fig. 5, which re ceives the pasted label from the fixed stripper bars 32. An idler roller 36 presses said label into contact with said transfer roller so that it adheres thereto and is carried thereby into an inverted position. The transfer roller is also provided with circun'iferential grooves 37, Figs. 5 and 6, in which lie the ends of fixed stripper bars 38 adapted to remove the inverted label from the transfer roller 35, and to cause said label to be deposited paste side up upon a travelling belt 39.

The belt 39 is carried and driven by a pulley 40 secured upon the shaft 18 and by an opposite end pulley 41, Fig. 10, secured upon a shaft 42 journalled at the rear end of the frame 1. The shafts 18 and 42 are preferably provided with sprockets 43, Fig. 2, which are connected by a chain 44. The shaft 42 is mounted in longitudinally movable trunnions 45, Figs. 2 and 9, which are provided with adjusting screws 46 by means of which the tension of the belt 39 may be regulated. It will be seen from the foregoing description that the labels are fed froin the stack 6, Fig. 5, right side up, and are pasted upon their under side and subsequently inverted by the transfer roller 35 and deposited upon the belt 39 up side down or with their pasted sides uppermost. By means of this arrangement, I am able to employ the simplest possible pasting means con'iprising merely the roller 27 and the idler 30, the distributing roller 29 being relatively unimportant. This simple pasting mechanism is easy to clean, and is ellicient in operation, supplying only suflicient paste to properly coat each label. After the labels are pasted, inverted, and deposited paste side up upon the belt 39, they are carried by said belt to the applying mechanism without the contact of any further parts with their past-ed surfaces, so that the film of paste is not broken or injured in any manner.

The packages to which the labels are to be applied are fed by gravity through a chute 47, Figs. 1, 2 and 10, and are controlled by a longitudinally slidable gate member 48. The gate member 48 is operated by a lever 49, Fig. 1, and is normally held in the position shown by a spring 50, in which position it obstructs the package chute 47 to prevent the passage of the packages 50 therethrough as shown in Fig. 10. A slidable bar 51, Figs. 1, 2 and 9, isconnected with the free end of the gate operating lever 49, and carries an arm 52 adapted to be engaged by a cam or crank member 53 mounted upon the shaft 42. Thus at each revolution of said shaft the gate member 48 is drawn rearwardly allowing the lower most package 50 in the chute 47 to drop down to the belt 39. The shaft 42 rotates at the same speed as that of the feed. roll 13 so that the feeding of the labels and the ltlll packages are properly related and the position of the chute 47 is such that each package 50 as it is released by the gate 8, drops upon the forward end of a positioned label upon the belt 39, as shown in Fig. 1.

The belt 39, in that portion of its travel which lies beneath and to the left of the package feed chute 47, runs upon a fixed track member 54, Fig. 10. A second fixed horizontal member 55 is positioned parallel to the track member -1, and is so spaced above the same as to cause the packages 50 to be rolled with a rotary motion as indicated by the arrows, between the belt 39 and said upper fixed member 55. This rolling action of the packages 50 causes the labels (3 to adhere thereto and to be wrapped thereabout, as illustrated in Fig. 4. A. suitable resilient pressure pad 56, Fig. 10, is secured to the under side of the upper fixed member 55. This pressure pad may be formed of felt or other similar material, but I prefer to use a material such as heavy plush or carpet having a definite pile, which acts in a very desirable manner to press and smooth the labels upon the packages. The fixed member 55 is of sutlicient length to enable the packages to be rolled through at least one complete revolution by the advancing movement of the belt 39 so that the entire label is firmly pressed against and caused to adhere to its package. At the end of said member 5, the labelled packages are discharged in any desired manner, as for example, upon a chute, a portionv of which is indicated at 57 in Fig. 10. An idler roller 58 is preferably mounted beneath the belt 39 at the point where the packages 50 arolirst engaged and pressed between said belt and the fixed member 55, said idler roller providing a slightly increased pressure at this point to ensure the proper ad hesion of the end of the label to the package.

in order to ensure the proper alignment of the labels 6 and the packages 50, and the proper spacing of said labels between the ends of said packages, I provide a fixed guide bar 59, Figs. 1 and 6, positioned immediately above and bearing against the belt 39, said bar acting as a guide by engaging one lateral edge of each label 6 as the same is advanced by said belt. For propcrly guiding the packages 50, I provide a pair of spaced guide bars 60 positioned between the upper fiXed member 55 and the belt 39, as shown in Figs. and 11. The bars 60 are supported by pins 61 slidably mounted in fixed Side members 62, each connecting rigidly the belt track member 5a and the upper fixed member 55. Springs 63 normally press the bars 60 inwardly into engagement with the ends of the advancing packages 50, so that said packages are not only correctly positioned laterally with respect to the labels lying upon the belt 39,

but are properly guided in their rolling advance movement, so that said labels will be wrapped in a true transverse manner about said packages. The end portions of the guide bars (50 immediately beneath the package feed chute l? are cut away, as shown at (34:, in Fig. 12, to enable the packages 50 to drop freely between said bars.

It is to be noted that with the single er;- ception of the package feed gate lt-3, all moving parts of the machine have a continuous rotary motion thereby causing a minimum amount of friction and wear. It is also to be noted that the labels are acted upon only by the several rotating rollers and the travelling belt 39 and the fixed pressure pad 56, so that there is no likelihood of damage to the outside surfaces of said labels.

The operation of the machine is entirely automatic, and continues as long as the supply of labels 6 lasts and the packages are fed by the chute 4:7. The labels are successively removed from the holder 7 by the continuously rotating feed roller 13, pasted on their under sides by the roller 27, inverted by the transfer roller 35, and deposited, paste side up, upon the belt They are then carried by said belt beneath the chute eti', from which the packages are dropped upon them, and said packages are then rolled between said belt and the fixed pressure member to cause the labels to wrap around and adhere to them.

1. In a machine for applying labels to packages, means for receiving and holding a label, means for applying paste to the under side of said label, a travelling member, means for inverting said label and de positing it upon said travelling member with its pasted side uppermost, and means for operating said travelling member to cause the label to be applied to a positioned package.

2. A machine for applying labels to cylindrical packages comprising a horizontally disposed travelling belt, means for pasting a label and positioning the same flat upon said belt, means for subsequently deposit ing a package upon said belt, a pressure member spaced from said belt, and means for moving said belt to roll said package between it and said pressure member, whereby said label is wrapped about said package.

8. A machine for applying labels to cylindrical packages comprising a traveling member, means for pasting a label on its under side, means for inverting said label and positioning it upon said travelling member, means for depositing a package upon said travelling member, a pressure member spaced from said travelling member, and means for moving said travelling member to roll said package between it and said pressure member, whereby said label is wrapped about said package.

4. A machine for applying labels to cylindrical packages comprising a horizontally disposed travelling belt, means for positioning a pasted label flat upon said belt, means for subsequently depositing a package upon said belt, a pressure member positioned above said belt, and means for moving said belt to roll said package between it and said pressure member, whereby said label is wrapped about said package.

5. A machine for applying labels to cylindrical packages comprising a rotating roller, means for applying paste to said roller, means for passing a label over said roller to cause paste to be applied to its under side, a traveling member, means for inverting said label and depositing it upon said travelling member, means for positioning a package in applying relation to the label carried by said travelling member, and means for causing said label to be applied to said package.

6. A machine for applying labels to cylindrical packages comprising a reservoir adapted to contain a supply of paste, a rotating roller mounted above said reservoir, the lower portion of said roller being immersed in said paste, means for passing a label over the upper portion of said roller, whereby its under side receives paste therefrom, a traveling member, means for inverting said label and depositing it upon said travelling member, means for positioning a package in applying relation to the label carried by said travelling member, and means for causing said label to be applied to said package.

7. A machine for applying labels to cylindrical packages comprising a rotating roller, means for applying paste thereto, means for passing a label over said roller to cause the paste to be applied to its underside, a second roller adapted to receive the label from said paste roller and to invert the same and a travelling member for receiving the inverted label from said second roller and for applying the same to a positioned package.

8. A machine for applying labels to cylindrical packages comprising a rotating roller, means for applying paste thereto, means for passing a label over said roller to cause the paste to be applied to its under side, a freely rotatable and vertically movable idler roller positioned above said paste roller and adapted to press the label into contact therewith, means for receiving the label from said paste roller and inverting the same, and a travelling member adapted to receive the inverted label and to apply the same to a positioned package.

9. A machine for applying labels to cylindrical packages comprising means for holding a stack of labels, means for successively feeding the labels therefrom, means for applying paste to the under side out each label fed from said holding means, a traveling member, means for inverting the pasted label and depositing the same upon said travelling member, and means for operating said travelling member to cause the label to be applied to a positioned package.

10. A machine for applying labels to cylindrical packages comprising a holder adapted to contain a stack of labels, means for removing the topmost label from said stack, means for applying paste to the under side of the removed label, a traveling member, means for inverting said label and depositing the same upon said travelling member, and means for operating said travelling member to cause the label to be applied to a positioned package.

11. In a label. applying machine, a holder adapted to contain a stack of labels, a rotating member associated with said holder and provided with alternately disposed smooth and rough peripheral segments, the rough segment being adapted to frictionally engage the endmost label of said stack and remove the same from said holder, a travelling member, means for pasting the removed label upon its under side, inverting it, and depositing it upon said travelling mcmlun: with its pasted side uppermost, and means for operating said travelling member to cause the label to be applied to a positioned package.

12. In a label applying machine, a holder adapted to contain a stack of labels, a rotating member adapted to remove the uppermost label from said stack, a fixed member mounted above said stack and adapted to bear against said uppermost label, a knife extending through said fixed member and adapted to pierce said uppermost label, a travelling member, means for pasting the removed label upon its under side, inverting it, and depositing it upon said travelling member with its pasted side uppermost, and means for operating said travelling member to cause the label to be applied to a positioned package.

In testimony whereof I have signed my .name to this specification.

GEORGE H. BARTLETT. 

